It sounds like a Flues model shotgun. If so, it was made in 1921. Check out the full list of serial numbers by year at http://ithacagunrepair.com/page5/page23/
As firearms are usually numbered in sequence 12472 can be almost any firearm from the Brown Bess Musket to the most modern weapon. Simply put there is a 12472 in every mark of firearm manufactured in...